::: Application Flash

How an Optical Oxygen Sensor works

How is it possible that the oxygen concentration in beverages

can be quantified by means of light?

Just read and learn the basics!

Photo: Application image

Few components provide a lot of information Did you know ...

An optical oxygen (O2) sensor quickly and reliably detects the amount of ... that different polymer matrices and
O2 in liquid or gaseous media. Generally, the O2 measurement remains different dyes influence the properties
unaffected by other gases. An optical O2 sensor consists of of the sensor, for example its sensitivity
in certain ranges?
• a light-emitting diode (LED),
How to quantify the O2
• an inert carrier holding the light-sensitive layer where dye molecules are concentration ?
embedded in a polymer matrix and protected by an optical insulation
layer, The emission light is time-delayed with
• and a photodiode plus filter to quantify the emitted light. respect to the excitation light. The time
shift between excitation and emission
What happens in the absence or presence of oxygen?
light is independent from the intensity.
If no O2 is present in the sample, the It is proportional to the partial pressure
dye absorbs excitation light, emitted of O2 and acts as a measure for the O2
by the LED, gets transferred to a concentration.
higher energy level and emits light
again. The emission light is LED
time-delayed and has a different Photodiode
wave length. The filter in front of the
photodiode ensures that only Filter only
emitted light is detected. lets emitted
light pass

Is O2 present in the sample, the dye Inert carrier

absorbs excitation light, but in its Light-sensitive layer
excited state the energy is taken Photo: The instrument
O2 O2 O2 O O Optical insulation
over by O2 molecules. The dye has O2 O2 O2 2 2 layer
now less energy left to emit. The
more O2, the less emitted light gets Do you have any questions?
to the photodiode.
Contact Anton Paar directly: 
The sensor’s characteristics speak for themselves: density@anton-paar.com

• Non-destructive: no oxygen consumed during measurement

• User-friendly: no electrolyte needed, no polarization time required
• Ecologically friendly: no chemicals required

XDLIA021EN-A www.anton-paar.com